Revamped Aspire S3 gets aluminium design, Haswell and Nvidia GPU

Acer fits GeForce GT735M into latest ultrabook

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Acer has unveiled an updated Aspire S3 ultrabook that features a smoother design, packs more features and is now available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the first time.

Starting at £999 ($1644, AU$1829), the S3 has inherited the design and innovation of the Aspire S7, making it an "impressively stylish and productive notebook", according to Acer. The newer S3 has gained dual-hinge designs enabling the laptop lid to be lifted to 180 degrees, another feature of its sibling the S7.

Instead of the S7's Gorilla Glass back, the new S3 cover is made from aluminium and sprayed white with a mirror-polish, while the operation area of the laptop is made from anodized aluminium throughout. The ultrabook is 17.8mm thin and only weighs about 1.67kg, making it accessible and easy to carry, though still heavier than the S7.

GeForce and Haswell

Like the S7, it also has a 13.3 inch 1080 display, but is more of a workhorse with Nvidia GeForce GT735M graphics and a larger non-SSD 1TB hard drive option.

The S3 will also include the latest fourth-generation Intel Core i-series Haswell CPUs, offering up to 15% better performance and twice as much graphics processing power. Specific models included with the laptop haven't been specified. The S3 also features a fast sub-1 second wake-from-sleep mode.

The display of the S3 renders movies, photos and games with IPS touchscreen technology and a 170 degree viewing angle. WiDi technology also enables users to share their content onto a larger screen like a TV or monitor with ease. The microphone within the ultrabook has also been tweaked with Acer 'Purified Voice' technology for clearer sound.

The S3 is available for the first time in all three EMEA areas at prices starting from £999 ($1644, AU$1829).